The Scarlet Ties
by Mistress Sianna
Summary: Four years after being forced back to her own time, a disenchanted Kagome struggles to find her way. Burdened by a strange new ability and the unwanted attentions of an enigmatic stranger, the miko is in for a whole new challenge. "Your reticence is futile Kagome, the ties can never be broken."
1. Memories of the Past

Eternally Bound: The Scarlet Ties

Memories of the Past

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters associated with the series. The following story is a work of fan fiction, written for entertainment purposes only. The author makes no monetary gains for this work.

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Yes the floor was hard and dirty, the air was thick and musty, and yes indeed, she might very well end up with a splinter before it was all said and done, but Kagome just couldn't bring herself to care, at least not today. Hidden away in the old wooden shrine near her family's home, she knelt at the base of the ancient and formerly powerful well, her somber gaze staring listlessly into its murky depths.

'_Sometimes,' _the miko recalled vaguely, '_it all seems like a dream. Did I really spend a year of my life traversing back and forth between this time and the feudal era? Did I have a sacred jewel torn from my body by a centipede demon, before then shattering said jewel, fighting tooth and nail to recover the shards, and then destroying Naraku, the malicious hanyou whose hunger for power and reckless disregard for others nearly destroyed the world?' _

It was all true of course. Kagome knew this, because her time in the past had changed her in many ways. She had been so young back then; so naive and idealistic. She'd believed in fluffy, magical things like love and fate, the shiny and much sought after pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and all the warm, fuzzy, happy little things that happened at the end of fairytales. Okay, so she'd never actually believed in the whole "pot of gold" deal, but the rest had been believable enough.

Now she knew that endings weren't always happy. Hard work didn't always pay off, and love truly didn't conquer all. At that last thought, the dull, empty space in the young woman's heart flared and ebbed, but not before stealing a melancholic sigh from her lips.

Even now, four years to the day after the well had snatched her from the past and stuck her back in her own time, thoughts of her feudal era friends inspired a near crippling sense of loneliness. She supposed, more than anything, it was the unfairness of it all that bothered her the most. She hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye!

The weeks and months that followed that fateful day were filled with confusion and false hopes of returning to the past, while the nights were haunted by dreams of that last, stunned expression Inuyasha was wearing just seconds before the well stole him away from her. He didn't get to say goodbye either. He'd risked his own life to save her from the Meido, gave her her first kiss, then brought her back home safely, before the well callously separated them forever.

She had never known, never allowed herself to think too deeply about what would happen once Naraku had been defeated and the jewel destroyed. What she had allowed however, were small, dreamy glimpses of what their future might hold. Her best hope was a future in which the well would remain open, allowing her to traverse between the times indefinitely; where she could have both the comforts of home and the love and warmth of her friends. She'd even considered a future in which she remained in the past, or Inuyasha came to this time with her. She'd never considered that they'd be separated permanently. Maybe that's why it had come as such a shock to her.

Mourning the loss of her friends had taken a hefty toll, and even though the worst of it was over, she was fairly sure that the burden of loss would never lift completely. She'd been in love with the hanyou, or at least that's what she'd believed at the time. Looking back on it now, she could grudgingly admit that her feelings might have been, ironically enough, little more than a healthy dose of puppy love.

She still missed him though, and couldn't help but to sometimes wonder what could have been.

'_It just wasn't meant to be…'_

Almost angrily, Kagome quashed the stray thought, banishing it to the murkiest depths of her mind. It was fate, her mother had told her, her loving arms wrapped around her crying, inconsolable teenaged daughter a few days after the well had closed.

"Fate sucks!" she'd muttered back through her tears, her voice garbled by the soft cotton of her mother's shirt.

"Sometimes," Keiko had agreed, absently running her fingers through the girl's hair before tenderly kissing her brow. "But you shouldn't give up so soon, Kagome," she'd said, squeezing her a little tighter. "It's only been a few days! And even if the well doesn't open again, you still have Grandpa, and me and Souta, as well as your friends from school. I know you miss Inuyasha and the others, but maybe it's better that you don't spend so much time in the past, when the future is where your going to spend the rest of your life."

She could hear the wistful smile in her mother's voice. "You're still so young, and you have your whole life ahead of you."

And it was true, Kagome realized. She was young, and she did have her whole life ahead of her. That life wouldn't include Inuyasha though, even if they did manage to find one another again somehow.

What she had not told her mother, in fact hadn't told anyone, was what she'd come to realize a few weeks after she'd returned to this time.

Turning her back to the well, the young woman slumped heavily against one of its diminutive walls, dropping her now dusty hands into her lap. She allowed her gaze to focus on the smallest finger of her right hand, her brow creasing slightly at the faint, red cord that was wrapped around it.

'_Threads of destiny,'_ the miko recalled sullenly.

Kagome had been just a girl when she'd been introduced to the fanciful tales about the red threads of destiny, and how they bound lovers together forever, no matter the time, circumstances or distance that might lay between them. They would always come together in the end, fall madly in love, and live happily ever after. It was all fairy tales of course, or at least that's what she'd always assumed.

Well, the priestess didn't believe in "happily ever after" anymore, but the threads…

"The threads are real." she muttered quietly, curling her hands into fists.

She'd first noticed them four years ago, after Sesshoumaru had destroyed Magatsuhi and restored her miko powers. Oh, it hadn't happened right away, or at least she hadn't noticed them with everything else that was going on.

But, the first time she'd seen it for sure, it was hanging from Inuyasha's right hand, just before the well had swallowed him up. It seemed like he was trying to say something to her and she'd caught only a glimpse of it before he faded from view, but one thing was crystal clear. Their threads, hers and Inuyasha's, were not connected. She hadn't noticed her own at that time, but the other end of his was clearly still inside the well, most likely connected to someone on the other side.

Even now that thought wasn't a very pleasant one. It didn't matter though, because today was the last day she would allow herself to mope around over this. It was time to move on and quit hoping for that one chance to visit the past again. Her mother had been right, it wasn't good to spend so much time in the past, she needed to focus on the future now. That's why today, she was going to look for a job. She'd put it off long enough.

After managing to finish high school, she'd enrolled in a local two-year college where she'd taken courses on data entry, customer service and office administration. It wasn't much, but with her family's limited resources, it would have to do for now. At least the degree she'd obtained would be enough to help her find a decent job. That was the hope anyway.

She'd already compiled a list of places that were hiring, prepared her resume and ironed her clothes. It had been obscenely early when she'd come in here to pine over her memories of the past, but the sun would be rising soon and she'd have to go out and face the world again. But, before she did, she was determined to say goodbye in the only way she could.

Inhaling deeply, she released her breath in a heavy sigh, closed her eyes, and summoned a vision; one in which she jumped into the well one last time and arrived 500 years in the past. When she climbed out on the other side, her friends were gathered around waiting for her.

It was bright and beautiful, just like it almost always was. The air was fresh and clean, and the sky a powdery blue. The first to greet her was Shippou. He was a little bigger now, but she didn't mind him leaping into her arms and wrapping himself around her in a suffocating embrace.

"Kagome!" he cried, his tears of joy seeping into her hair.

"Hi there." she managed, though her voice was muffled by his fluffy ponytail. She held him for a long time before finally letting him go. When she put him down, he just stared up at her with wide eyes.

She wanted to pick him up again, but she needed to finish this quickly. Moving on, her eyes landed on Sango and Miroku. Now married, the monk and former demon slayer were clearly expecting a baby. She ran to them, and was embraced tightly by both husband and wife. Crying, she told them how happy she was for them, and wished them well with all her heart. It was so, so hard to let them go.

When she finally did, she turned to see Inuyasha standing a short distance away. His back was turned to her, and she hesitated for a moment before circling around to see his face.

"So I guess you're leaving, huh?" he asked shortly, though she could hear the undertone of pain in his voice.

"Yeah," she whispered hoarsely, "but not because I want to."

"Humph, so why'd you even bother to come back?"

She smiled wryly, ignoring his gruff tone. The hanyou was never any good with emotionally charged situations like this.

"I... I just wanted to say goodbye," and before he could respond, she leapt, capturing him in a fierce embrace, her silent tears seeping into his red clothing. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her as well, and she could feel him resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I've missed you so much!" she cried into his haori, fisting her hands in the thick cloth as if to prevent his escape.

"Hey," he said, his tone sounding more subdued. "Cut that out! Don't be such a crybaby!"

She pulled away to glare up at him. "I'm not a crybaby, you big jerk! I just miss my friends!"

He smirked down at her, not quite concealing the sadness in his eyes. "I know, and we miss you too Kagome, but we still have each other. It's gonna be okay." And there was something in his voice that made her believe him, just a little.

"Are you... are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure. Now get outta here, you'll be late for that job interview thing."

She choked on a watery laugh before using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe her tears away. "Okay," she whispered, before reluctantly letting him go.

Around her, everything was beginning to fade, so she moved toward the well, intent on jumping back through before the vision was lost completely. This time, this last time when she went back to her own era, it would be because she chose to, not because she was forced. When she turned to see her friends for the last time, she noted that everyone was there now.

She saw Kaede, and Myoga, Jinenji, Kouga, Totosai, Kohaku, everyone she remembered from the past. Even Sesshoumaru, Rin and Jaken were there.

Standing on the lip of the well, the miko scanned the crowd of her friends, allies and acquaintances. Each one of them had touched her life, and a small smile graced her lips when she realized that she'd touched theirs as well. It was hard knowing that she'd never be able to see any of them again, but she would find a way to accept it and move on with her life.

"Goodbye everyone," she said and waved, before pushing herself off the lip of the well, and tumbling back to her modern world.

Opening her eyes, Kagome brushed away a few stray tears, took another deep breath, and steeled her resolve. Slowly, she gathered her legs beneath her and stood, brushing the debris from her pajama pants. She reached into one of the oversized pockets and pulled out several strips of paper. Grasping them tightly in both hands, the miko held them close to her heart.

"Okay," she said softly, and then pulled one of the strips from the group. Holding it between the first two fingers of her right hand, she took in the enchantment written on it, absently critiquing her handwriting before placing it on the lip of the well. She then removed another, and then two more, placing one strip on each corner. Once finished, she quietly chanted a prayer.

It was done.

Within the four walls of the tiny, dimly lit shrine, the well took on a soft, purplish glow.

The well was sealed.

Grandpa had been rather surprised when she'd approached him on how to accomplish it, but had been more than happy to share what he knew.

He'd voiced, rather loudly, and on more than one occasion, concerns that the well could open again and let some "foul demon" into their world. Though she wasn't thoroughly convinced that it would happen, Kagome could agree that he had a point. Still, she wasn't doing this just for him. She was mostly doing it for herself.

Turning away from the well, Kagome exited the building and closed the door behind her; placing the last four sutras across the doorway and chanting another prayer. The barrier, of course, wouldn't stop _her_ from entering the well house or the well itself, but it would most likely keep anyone, or anything from venturing through from the other side. It was a pretty solid seal, if she said so herself. Not even Inuyasha's red Tessaiga would be able to break through it.

Now, she could banish the useless, debilitating hope that he'd manage to find a way back through again. The hanyou was stubborn, and even after four years she didn't doubt that he would still try from time to time.

On this day, Kagome would mark the end of one chapter of her life, and courageously begin anew. In a way it was a relief, but it was also a little scary. A fresh new sheet of paper was aesthetically pleasing, but was empty and devoid of direction or guidance. But, on the other hand it also held limitless potential, so that was a good thing.

She pressed her hand against the doorframe, testing one last time the strength of her seal. Satisfied, she was turning away, her hand trailing down its old wooden surface when a tiny sliver of wood lodged itself into the pad of her finger.

"Damn it!" she cried, snatching away and eyeing the splinter resentfully. It was going to be a long, long day.


	2. An Unforeseen Opportunity

The Scarlet Ties

An Unforeseen Opportunity

* * *

'_What a day!' _Kagome thought tiredly, crossing the Yoshida Central Library off her list of prospective employers. She'd sat through three interviews, filled out more applications than she could count and left resumes at many of the local businesses, grocery stores and restaurants, none of which seemed terribly promising.

It was extremely frustrating! Everyone she spoke with told her the same thing; she needed on the job experience. The miko rolled her eyes, folding the small sheet of paper and tossing it into her purse. _'How can you ever get any experience if no one will hire you in the first place?!'_

Sighing, she sat back and crossed her legs, attempting to enjoy the relative comfort of her window seat on the crowded bus. _'Maybe,' _she thought, closing her eyes languidly, _'tomorrow will be better.'_

Around her, the light chatter of her fellow passengers began to fade away, as the monotonous sway of the vehicles' gentle propulsion soothed her tired muscles. Job hunting, she found, was a job within itself and was both mentally and physically exhausting!

The miko had perhaps drifted into a light doze and didn't notice when the bus slowed to a stop, allowing a new passenger to come aboard.

Sato, Koichi calmly made his way onto the vehicle and paid his fare. Momentarily he paused, tucking his wallet into the rear pocket of his dark trousers before turning to find a seat. His heart actually stuttered in his chest when he saw her…

Even on the crowded bus, his attention was drawn directly to her, the woman seated near the front and to his right. Dressed in a dark grey business suit and black pumps, she had her hair pulled up in a neat bun, though her face was beautifully framed by several stray locks.

She appeared to be sleeping, her head resting against the window, legs crossed, and her hands folded loosely over her purse. She was stunning. It was strange, he noted distantly, that he never recalled feeling this way before. And, as it turned out, the only empty seat on the entire bus, was the one right next to her. So, repressing the unfamiliar sense of apprehension, Koichi stiffened his spine, took a deep breath, and courageously approached.

"Good day."

Startled, Kagome sprang up in her seat, placing a hand over her racing heart as she quickly took in her surroundings. She soon recalled that she was riding the bus and on her way home after a long and unsuccessful day of job hunting.

"My apologies," a deep, masculine voice spoke out above her. "It was not my intention to frighten you."

Slowly she looked to her right and up, following the crease of dark, neatly pressed slacks, to the black belt that encircled his waist, to the white, button down shirt that followed, and finally to an obscenely handsome face. Though his expression was very subtle, he seemed slightly amused, his hazel brown eyes staring down at her.

"Oh," she sighed breathlessly, her cheeks catching fire as a smoldering blush washed over her. Between her sleep addled mind and the sudden emergence of this unfeasibly attractive man staring down at her, Kagome was off balance and scrambling to catch up to the world around her. Intellectually, she knew that it wasn't polite to stare, yet she could not take her eyes away from his face.

It occurred to her, rather vaguely, that he was saying something, and at the last minute she realized, that it just might be polite to listen to him instead of staring up at his face like a slack-jawed ninny.

"… been a very long day. I hope you don't mind if I sit here beside you. It seems to be the last available seat on the bus."

"Oh!" she said again, this time managing to gather her wits. "Of course!" she moved a little closer to the window, allowing him a bit more room. As he lowered himself to the seat, she noticed his silky, pitch black hair. Parted down the center and slightly uneven in the front, the dark tresses were gathered in a neatly trimmed ponytail at the base of his neck, the remaining strands coming to rest just beyond his shoulders.

Once seated, he turned to look at her, and the miko quickly looked away. "I'm sorry," she said, still feeling a little flustered. "I'm normally not so impolite. Had I noticed you sooner, I would have offered you the seat right away." She blushed again, hoping her words didn't sound too brazen.

"Do not concern yourself," he remarked evenly, "if there is any blame to be had it is mine. I seem to have startled you. You appeared to be… meditating?"

Kagome nearly choked on an incredulous laugh. "As if!" she said, a little louder than she'd intended. "I guess I just dozed off. It's been a really long day," she admitted, stretching her legs beneath the seat in front of her.

"Work," he nodded perceptively, "that, I can certainly understand. Do you mind if I ask, what is it you do?"

He turned those piercing hazel eyes on her again, and Kagome couldn't help but to shy away, averting her gaze to the balding head of the man seated in front of her. "Nothing for the moment." she spoke quietly. "I'm actually looking for a job."

"Hn," he murmured, bringing a hand up to thoughtfully stroke his chin. "How interesting."

She shot a glance at him from the corner of her eyes, attempting and failing to determine whether there was any condescension in his voice. "What's that supposed to mean?" she wanted to know, slightly offended but trying not to be rude.

"It just so happens that I know of a museum that is currently in need of a salesclerk."

"Oh," the miko perked up, her edginess regressing a little. "Wait, a salesclerk? In a museum? I thought…"

"The gift shop." he clarified.

"Ah," she nodded her understanding, "Well that'd be great, but I've never done anything like that before. Do you…"

"I don't think that will be a problem." he said, as if reading her thoughts. "As I understand it, the manager is offering training to whomever she selects for the position."

"That's… that's great" she said, not quite hiding the excitement in her voice. "Where is it?" she asked, retrieving a pen and piece of paper from her bag. "I hope they haven't already filled the position, but if nothing else I can at least go and fill out an application."

To her surprise, Koichi took the implements from her hands, sat the paper on his knee, and began recording the information. Eagerly, she tried to look over his shoulder and see what he was writing, but soon realized that she couldn't do so without leaning over him in an extremely inappropriate manner. Deciding to be patient, she again looked out the window, noting that she was back in her own neighborhood. It would be time to get off the bus pretty soon.

Koichi regained her attention by handing the pen and paper back to her, his neat handwriting standing out in blue ink against the white paper. There was an address and the name of the museum: The Shuiro International History Museum. And, at the bottom of the page there was a name and phone number.

"Koichi Sato," the miko said quietly, a slight crease marring her brow. She looked back up at him to see that he was now extending his hand. Habit overtook her clouded mine and she extended hers as well. "H-Higurashi," she said, "I'm Higurashi, Kagome." she hesitated before adding. "We're almost at my stop. It… was nice meeting you, Koichi-san, and thank you for the information."

She tried to retrieve her hand, but Koichi did not immediately let her go. "You are most welcome Kagome-san, and the pleasure was entirely mine."

Captured in his piercing gaze, Kagome promptly forgot to breathe. There was… something about this man, something she just couldn't put her finger on. Everything from those piercing eyes, to the voice that could melt an arctic tundra, to the powerful, yet gentle touch of his hands, it called to her, drew her in like a moth to the flames. It was thrilling, yet ever so dangerous all the while. She hardly knew what to make of it, what to make of _him_.

Gradually, Koichi released her hand as the bus slowed to a halt. "I believe this is your stop, Kagome-san. I am hopeful you will enjoy the rest of your day."

Blushing again for reasons she dared not question, the miko offered a distracted nod before perilously rising to her feet. "Yes," she said breathlessly, grabbing onto the handrail for support. "Well, thanks again."

"Indeed," he intoned airily, as if he hadn't all but seduced her with his very presence. "Feel free to call me anytime if you are in need of directions."

"What?"

"Directions…? To the museum?"

"Oh right!" she said, stepping aside to let another passenger off the bus. "I'll, umm… I'll keep that in mind. Goodbye, Koichi-san." and with that she quickly turned away, making her way toward the exit. And, just as she was passing through the door, she thought she heard him speak to her one last time.

"Until we meet again, Kagome..."

* * *

The late night hours found a troubled Kagome lying awake in her childhood bed. Though her room was quiet and mostly dark, her mind was troubled and racing. No matter what she did, she couldn't stop thinking about the handsome stranger she'd met earlier in the day.

'_Koichi Sato,' _her mind echoed softly.

She frowned. He was just so… well, honestly she didn't know how to put words to what he was, but with just a glance, just a few simple words, he was able to draw her in so completely, it was almost frightening. Sure, he was physically attractive and seemingly polite, but it was so much more than that.

He seemed, almost familiar somehow.

It was both slightly comforting, and entirely disconcerting at the same time. What was interesting about the whole thing, was that it wasn't really his looks that made him seem so familiar, it was something else, something deeper. His entire being spoke to her of… something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Maybe, she pondered doubtfully, she'd met him somewhere before. And had he really been flirting with her? It seemed unlikely that such an attractive man wouldn't already be taken, but she certainly hadn't noticed a wedding band on his fin-

Gasping, the miko was suddenly aware of something else she hadn't noticed.

"The red ties…" she muttered softly, scanning her mind for memories. Oddly, she didn't remember seeing one on him, and she couldn't help but to wonder what that meant. Had she simply not been paying attention? That was possible. The threads were something she'd gotten used to seeing everyday and on everyone; even little children and babies.

Since discovering this new ability however, Kagome had found, through experimenting with her powers, that she could mute their appearance to such a degree, that they were sometimes barely visible. After all, it was rather annoying seeing red strands all over the place. But even muted, the threads were never entirely gone. In fact, she couldn't recall ever having met a person on whom no thread was visible at all! Even people who's soul mates had passed on still had their ties attached to them. In those cases though, the threads tapered off on the ends and seem to fade away.

Initially she had been extremely confused by this, because she had always been told that the threads could never be broken. But, in observing the ties still connected to her mother and grandpa, she noticed that the threads weren't really broken, instead they seemed to fade away, trailing beyond this plane of existence, far beyond even what her miko eyes could see.

As for her own thread, she never could see the other end of it. Not that hers tapered off like Mom's and Grandpa's did. No, hers seemed to simply be connected to someone who was very far away from her. _'Hopefully,' _she thought, a frown creasing her brow, _'he'll stay there! Wherever he is!' _Whose to say they had to meet in _this_ lifetime anyway? Perhaps in her next life she'd be more up to it, but after everything that had happened, Kagome just wasn't interested in love, or fate, or even handsome strangers on a bus, no matter how helpful he turned out to be.

Frustrated, the miko sighed and rolled over in her bed, brushing aside her meandering thoughts.

'_He was nice and all,' _she thought, closing her eyes, _'but I hope I never see him again.'_

And, as she finally began to drift off, a whispered utterance skittered across the surface of her jaded mind:

'_Until we meet again, Kagome…'_


End file.
